


Codename: Dove

by Azureflowers



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Also Akechi has a tiny but significant cameo role, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Lots of Metaverse shenanigans, Mishima tries too hard, Persona User!Mishima
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azureflowers/pseuds/Azureflowers
Summary: Mishima has access to Mementos, but doesn't know how it is connected to the Phantom Thieves. When he sees Akira struggling with money, it's the perfect chance for an eager Phanboy to prove his worth to his idols by becoming a generous donor. However, Shadow extermination isn't exactly a risk-free source of income, and the gang begins to suspect something is up...De-anon from kinkmeme.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started P5, I did not expect to become this attached to a relatively minor character by the end of it. I don't even know what happened but here we are, me and my incoherent mass of feelings about my son Moon Moon. I've been following his tag since I beat the game in late April, once I'm done posting this I will come to scream in y'all's review boxes, sorry for taking an eternity to do so.
> 
> The original kinkmeme prompt can be found [ here ](https://personakinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/993.html?thread=124129#cmt124129). I made some minor changes in this version after one more round of proof-reading.

“ _A train is arriving momentarily. Please stand behind the yellow line…”_

Yuuki Mishima let out a deep sigh as he took his place in the line of people waiting to board the incoming train at the Aoyama-Itchome station. It had been a lousy day, another addition to the string of miserable scenes that was his life. He had been a student at the fairly prestigious Shujin Academy High School for two months, and by now his hopes of turning his life around as a high schooler had come crashing down in a spectacular mass of flames and smoke. He wasn’t making any real friends despite his best efforts, and the volleyball club he had been so eager to join had a coach that seemed to have something against him, always badmouthing him and saying he had no backbone or something to that effect. While it was true Yuuki struggled to keep up with the harsh training the club expected its members to follow, he wasn’t the only one. He knew many members thought the coach’s methods were a bit extreme, but god forbid anyone actually said it out loud. Yuuki rubbed his cheek where the coach had slapped him today for dropping the ball during a practice match. In front of the whole team. It had been _mortifying_.

The train arrived to the station and passengers began to shuffle in and out of the vehicle. As he was about to enter, Yuuki bumped into a neatly dressed young man who was carrying a white attaché case in one hand and a smartphone in the other.

“Sorry…” Yuuki mumbled, but the youth just smiled at him.

“No harm done,” the stranger said and turned away, almost instantly disappearing into the crowd of the platform.

The train’s seats were all taken, but that was not unusual at this time of day. Yuuki claimed a spot next to the door opposite to the entrance, and looked at his gloomy reflection in the glass. He looked pitiful, no surprises there.

_“Now departing. Please be mindful of the closing doors.”_

As the train began to pick up speed, Yuuki took his phone out of his pocket. Perhaps checking if there was any news on his favourite shows would grant him the sweet relief of escapism from his daily problems.

However, as he took out the phone he saw that there was a program already running – even though he had not even put in the passcode! Great, getting some kind of weird malware on his device was just the perfect cherry on the cake for this awful day…

Yuuki took a closer look to identify what the problem might be, but it didn’t seem like anything he had seen before. There was an unfamiliar icon at the top of the screen and under it, a text that read:

[ _New destination unlocked. Beginning navigation…]_

As soon as Yuuki read those words, the world around him began to twist and bend as black and red circular loops began to warp the scenery. Strangely enough, no one in the train seemed to notice or care, even when Yuuki let out an alarmed shriek that usually would have caught someone’s attention. In the end it didn’t make much of a difference because in the next moment all other humans disappeared from the car entirely, and the now empty train continued racing on the tracks.

Yuuki stood petrified, phone still in hand, unable to process what had just happened. Soon the train stopped next to a platform and the doors opened. A voice in his phone announced,

_“Destination reached.”_

Yuuki forced his trembling legs to move and walked out of the car. As soon as he had stepped out of the vehicle, the doors closed behind him and the empty train continued on its journey to wherever it was going.

Yuuki saw no one on the platform he was standing on. However, the opposite platform was full of dark silhouettes that looked like potential passengers.

“E-excuse me,” Yuuki tried, his voice cracking a little as he tried to shout to the other side, “Do you know which station this is?”

No response. In fact, there was something strange about the people waiting for the train. They seemed to be completely jet black from head to toe, and strangely apathetic. No one was chatting with anyone, or even looking at their phones like normal people would when waiting for a train to arrive. They simply stood in orderly lines, and no one showed any interest in Yuuki or acknowledged his attempt at communication.

The sound of the approaching train made enough noise that Yuuki decided it was useless to try and shout over it. The train that arrived at the opposite side from where Yuuki was standing resembled the trains that he used every day to commute, but seemed to carry a vaguely threatening air, and the eerie red glow from inside made it impossible to see what was inside. The train stopped only for a moment and when it departed, all the dark figures were gone, leaving Yuuki accompanied only by the echo of the train as it grew more distant.

He really needed to get out of here.

Yuuki observed his surroundings. For some reason, he didn’t feel like it would a good idea to board one of the trains the shadow people were taking – even if he somehow managed to make it past the barred walls separating the platforms – so he looked for other options. On his left, there was a wall where normally one would expect to see an escalator. However, on his right there actually was one that seemed to be going up, which Yuuki gladly decided to head for.

Having ascended to the upper floor, Yuuki found with some disappointment that he had not yet reached the surface. His phone buzzed in his pocket and upon inspection informed him that he was in a place called The Path of Qimranut Floor 1, whatever that meant. Yuuki took a deep, shaky breath and started to look for another escalator.

Much like the trains, the environment did have similarities to the Tokyo underground he knew well, but was like a creepy nightmare version of it. There were the familiar cream-coloured tiles and the concrete pillars, but something dark and root-like was creeping up and down the walls here and there – they didn’t _quite_ look like roots, but Yuuki didn’t want to investigate further. The halogen lamps were there, connected by cables that were so loose in places they couldn’t possibly adhere to all security regulations. (Said regulations definitely would not tolerate the thick metal chains hanging from the ceiling, either.) The lightning seemed redder than the lamps would allow for, and the air was a bit suffocating, never mind that it was full of unidentifiable black pieces of… _something_ fluttering about. The distant wails and murmurs weren’t exactly soothing, either.

Yuuki walked between the pair of tracks and fervently hoped no trains would come his way. The strange app was still running on his phone, tracking his movements even though he was pretty sure he hadn’t had his GPS on by default. Now he was probably better off with it working, as it reduced the chances of him accidentally going in circles.

After some exploration, Yuuki saw something shiny glinting on the ground. He picked it up to find that it was a thin silver coin. On a whim, he pocketed the small item, but then something else caught his attention. On his right, he could see a corridor that was a dead end, but there was something at the far end that didn’t look like anything you would see in a subway. Yuuki walked closer to have a better look.

It was a pedestal with a rectangular box on top of it. Both the pedestal and the box were grey with red ornamental shapes decorating them. At the front of the box there was something that resembled a switch. When Yuuki carefully rotated the switch, the top half of the box swung open and a bright light shone from within. With a surprised yelp, Yuuki momentarily shielded his face with his arm in case there was something dangerous in the box, but when nothing seemed to happen, he dared to look inside. To his surprise, he found a dagger with a sharp-looking edge and blue decorations around the handle. When he tried picking up the weapon, it felt colder than he expected – especially the blade appeared to be unnaturally cold.

Yuuki wondered what to do with this surprising finding. He was pretty sure carrying things like this around was illegal and he could get into a lot of unnecessary trouble if he were to run into a police officer. However, there was no one around besides him and those weird shadowy people, and he had no idea where exactly he was. It was probably safe to say that this was an emergency situation?

While he was pondering whether to take the weapon or leave it, he heard a strange moany growl from behind him. When he turned around, he was looking at a horrifying monster. It was taller than an average human, even though it stood at a hunched posture. It was mostly all black except for those reddish roots – veins? – on its legs. It didn’t have a face as such, but its torso had strange masks all over that looked like enormous white abscesses protruding from its black skin. The creature stared at Yuuki (or at least held itself so that the largest mask’s was facing his general direction, he couldn’t see any actual eyes) and then, to his horror, began to _run_ towards him. Yuuki grabbed the dagger reflexively and pointed the sharp end at the approaching monster. He felt the collision point, but to his surprise, the monster bounced backwards from the contact, falling on the floor before exploding and turning into inky goo. From the dark puddle, a new creature materialized, this time a greenish slime with two magenta red eyes and a distinct mouth. The slime lunged at him and its head crashed into his left arm before the monster retreated to prepare for another attack.

Yuuki felt his arm throbbing with pain, although he would later find out that adrenaline was still blocking most of the effects. It was at this moment that he realized he was no longer in a place where everyday rules and common sense applied. This wasn’t like being beat by bullies who only messed with him out of boredom or to make him give them his lunch money. This wasn’t like being disciplined by an authority figure who saw fit to make things physical to drive a lesson home. The thing attacking him wasn’t human – was it even an animal? – and it had obvious killing intent.

Yuuki let his survival instinct take the wheel and he charged ahead holding the dagger with both hands for better aim. Screaming at the top of his lungs, he planted the blade between the eyes of the slime before yanking the weapon away.

To his amazement, the entire body of the slime was instantly covered by ice and it froze into place. Before he had time to let this sink in, Yuuki realised his hands were moving on their own, striking the frozen monster again.

It shattered into pieces.

Yuuki sank on his knees, panting heavily as he tried to calm himself down. His arm hurt a lot; it was going to bruise badly for sure, how was he going to hide it now that the season for short-sleeved summer uniforms had _just_ started… No, that wasn’t important. He still had to figure out how to make it back home alive…

After a minute of gathering his wits, Yuuki raised his eyes and noticed that the monster had left something behind. He blinked several times as he thought he was seeing things, but the nightmarish monster seemed to have changed into…money?

Yuuki gathered the scattered coins in his hands and counted them. 230 yen. But was it real? Realistically speaking, it had to be fake, but Yuuki couldn’t tell it apart from the currency he used every day. He decided to take it with him just in case.

He wandered the deserted corridors for a few more minutes, grasping the dagger tightly in his hand. However, he found an escalator before another monster found him. He ran up the stairs like he never had before, eager to get closer to the surface and some semblance of normalcy.

The next floor looked like a ticket gate, but none of the machines seemed to be functioning and Yuuki could pass them easily. He took out his phone to check the app again, and was greeted by a new option in the corner of the screen: _Return to the real world._

He instantly mashed his finger on the appropriate part of the screen and the warped shapes began appearing again accompanied by the mechanical voice,

_“Now returning to the real world. Thank you for using the service.”_

The next thing he knew, Yuuki found himself standing next to the ticket gates at Shibuya station. Hundreds of people were passing him by, busy heading this way or that way, unheeding of the fact that the insignificant teenage boy standing in the middle of the hallway had just had the adventure of his life.

A busy salaryman zoomed past him, almost hitting him with his briefcase in the process, and Yuuki backed away to the wall while still trying to get his head wrapped around the fact that he was indeed back among civilization. The ticketing attendant, who had probably been watching him zone out for some time, exited his booth and addressed him,

“Hey, boy…are you okay?”

Yuuki pondered what to say for a few seconds. On the one hand, it was the kind of information that the staff probably should be made aware of – ‘Excuse me, but one of your trains just threw me into a creepy alternate underground with bloodthirsty monsters’ – but on the other hand, the man would just probably think he had dreamed the whole thing. He wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t, even though the pain in his arm still felt very real. The dagger was nowhere to be found, though.

Eventually Yuuki settled for an awkward “I’m fine, thanks” and fled the scene before the attendant had time to inquire further. Once he felt that he had gotten far enough, he went into a secluded corner and discovered more proof that what he had just experienced was real: the money in his pockets and the inexplicable new app on his phone that seemed to go by Meta-Nav.

He mostly avoided the app after that day. After several subsequent attempts to remove the strange function from his phone proving ineffectual, he gave up and just tried to ignore the glaring eye icon whenever he opened his screen lock. Only when things got desperate – like when someone demanded money from him or when Kamoshida’s escalating anger led to ripped clothes and broken objects that Mishima had to replace without having to ask his parents to pay – he entered the creepy world and tried to sneak past the monsters to find some more treasure chests and other items lying about that he could trade for money in various shops. He was surprised to find that the layout of the place would change every time he entered; luckily the navigation app tracked his footsteps and automatically created a map each time so that getting back to the platform was not an issue. The dagger would also reappear in his hand when he entered the alternate reality, which saved him the trouble of hiding it while giving him a means of self-defence.

Sometimes he managed to go and come without having to face the roaming monsters; if he was noticed, he could always try a mad dash for the platform, as the monsters didn’t seem to bother following him to the highest floor. However, other times that plan backfired and he ended up surrounded. Those were the days he returned home looking considerably worse than when he had left school, barely having managed to escape with his life.

 

* * *

 

April rolled around, and the new school year began. Unfortunately the new year was nothing like a fresh start for Yuuki, at the very least. Kamoshida had approached him during one of the “voluntary” spring holiday practice sessions (which everyone in the team knew to be optional in name only) and ordered him to spread some rumours about a delinquent transfer student who was going to attend Shujin from the start of the new term. Apparently he was on probation for assault – Yuuki tried not to flinch at that. He really didn’t need any more that kind of people in his everyday environment.

“It’s a real fucked up guy we’re going to be having,” Kamoshida said, “so we need to show him this school is not like whatever backwater hellhole it is he crawled from. I don’t care if you say he eats puppies for breakfast. I want the whole school talking about him by the time he shows up.” Kamoshida grabbed Mishima’s shoulder with one of his huge hands and _squeezed_ painfully.

“I’m _counting_ on you with this, Mishima. You’ve always been such an underachiever, but I think you’re going to give this one your all.”

There really wasn’t anything to say about it after that. Kamoshida had made his will clear, and Yuuki was not going to try his terrible luck by finding out what would happen if he disobeyed a direct order.

Still, none of this made the first school day any easier when the notorious transfer student finally arrived and discovered that he already was the talk of the whole school and that all eyes were on him, be it as curious glances or judgemental glares. When Akira Kurusu introduced himself in class and the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife, Yuuki kept his gaze down to his desk.

Kurusu didn’t look like a violent thug. He seemed pretty normal, maybe a bit mischievous judging by the light swagger in his step and the way his eyes peeked from under his curly bangs. He was nothing like the image Yuuki had built in his mind when he inflated the rumours about Kurusu on popular websites to ruin his reputation.

_The probation part was supposed to be true, though_ , Yuuki reminded himself to silence his clamouring conscience. It was the likely reason why Kurusu was in Tokyo in the first place – to go somewhere where people didn’t know him, to start over in a new environment without baggage. Well, he could say goodbye to that, now.

A darker, more cynical side of Yuuki supposed it was a lesson learned. You couldn’t cast off the past just like that. Once you fell into your role in society, it wasn’t something you could change simply because you didn’t like what you got. The sooner you stopped resisting and just found a way to deal with your lot in the world, the better. Yuuki had learned this lesson the hard way, and so would Kurusu, soon enough.

The only problem was that Kurusu didn’t seem to be absorbing this particular piece of worldly wisdom. He made friends with Sakamoto, of all people, and was seen holding defiant staring contests with Kamoshida on numerous occasions. Yuuki almost had a heart attack when he overheard Kamoshida giving Kurusu vague threats and Kurusu’s response was just a shrug and a dry remark.

Yuuki wanted to grab Kurusu by the shoulders and shake some sense into him. Didn’t Kurusu realise what he was doing? Didn’t he get that he was only making his situation worse? Didn’t he understand that he was also making Yuuki’s life more miserable by exhausting Kamoshida’s already lacking patience before lunchtime?

The situation escalated even faster than Yuuki anticipated, and by the end of the week he ended up in the P.E. faculty office. Everything happened so fast he remembered only bits and pieces clearly. Sakamoto kicking down a chair, Kamoshida raising his voice, Kurusu just kind of…standing there. He felt like he also faintly remembered a cat, but that didn’t make any sense.

And then, somewhere in the midst of it all, the smallest flicker of a flame appeared; a small moment of clarity in the fog of excuses and denial that usually shrouded him.

“What you did…wasn’t coaching!”

The words slipped out almost of their own accord, surprising Yuuki with their implications. However, the moment of bravery (or ill-advised lapse of judgement) was short-lived, as Kamoshida showed once again that he had so many more ways to beat Yuuki down, he didn’t even _need_ his fists at this point.

After Yuuki left school, the full gravity of what had just transpired hit him like a train. He was dead. Game over. Kamoshida was going to expel him. He couldn’t imagine how to bounce back from that. What respectable school would take someone with a shitshow like this in their record? His academic performance wasn’t that amazing, and he didn’t really have any special skills to speak of. He was going to be Yuuki Mishima the high-school dropout. A world-class zero.

Before he realised, he had entered the parallel world. He wasn’t in the mood to see anyone, and the dark depths and the company of monsters was starting to seem a preferable option.

There seemed to be more monsters than usual, as if they were lured in by Yuuki’s despair. He attacked away more recklessly than he ever had, but he kept missing good hits. He was so tired. Tired of being afraid and ashamed all the time, tired of hating himself for not being able to change, tired of hating himself for _wanting_ to change… Now that his life was practically over anyway, it seemed almost tempting to just tell the whole unfair world to screw it and let one of these freakish monsters finally do him in.

_“Is that really what you want to do?”_

A slimy creature knocked him down on his butt but hesitated to strike the final blow. Something had begun to stir inside Yuuki even as he sat lamely on the ground with tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.

He didn’t really want to die. At one point he had felt envious about Suzui’s ability to take that step that he never could… but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. Dying a nameless death here would be easy, but it would cause him to end up just another piece of collateral damage for Kamoshida to jeer about, just like Suzui. People would say he was just afraid of being expelled; maybe they would even blame Sakamoto and Kurusu, thinking they had forced him to oppose Kamoshida. While Yuuki had wished the two boys would get off his case and stop rocking the boat, their persistence had been strangely exhilarating. It had been the first time in years that someone had genuinely _looked_ at him, bothered to question the poorly made excuses and chosen not ignore the obvious red flags…

It would be ungrateful of him to throw all that away by giving up here.

_“So you are up for it, then?”_

Suddenly a horrible pain assaulted Yuuki, and he brought both of his hands to his head. It reminded him of the time Kamoshida had squeezed his head against the gym floor with his enormous shoe, but the pain was more intense and there was an unbearable ringing in his ears. He didn’t even care about the monsters anymore, he just wanted the terrible feeling to go away – but all that he could focus on was a voice that seemed to come from inside his skull.

_“Used and abused by those who saw you as nothing but a tool and a slave… To cut you away from such a pitiable existence, let us forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I… From here on out, only follow those you deem righteous, and search for your own ideals!”_

Yuuki scrambled to his feet. His fingers fumbled for his face but there was something in the way – some kind of mask? Whatever it was, it was uncomfortable and suffocating. Yuuki grabbed on to its edges and began to pull it off his face. He felt pain, felt warm liquid drip down his face, heard the sound of skin ripping apart, but at the moment it all felt a better option than keeping the offending item on.

As soon as he threw the useless thing away, a blue flame enveloped him and with it, a blissfully cool and refreshing sensation, like a dip in a mountain spring. The sweat, tears and blood he had shed were washed away, and he felt new energy inside him. It was strange and foreign, but somehow so familiar at the same time – as if it had been in him all his life, but just gone unnoticed.

Behind him, a tall human-like figure had materialised. Yuuki didn’t need to look to know what the creature looked like: it wore mostly white with black and dark blue details here and there. Its unnaturally long limbs had joints that seemed mechanical rather than organic, and it sported flashy leg guards from the knee down, which created a strange contrast with the white top hat that was tipped at an angle and hid most of the creature’s face. In its glove-clad hands, the mysterious figure carried a hefty flat-sided bat that vaguely resembled an oar with a shorter handle.

“Show me your potential, Bunny Manders!”

The creature obeyed Yuuki’s will, and the slimes were vanquished in a flash of light. ‘Bunny Manders’ disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and after the sound of a couple dozen coins falling to the ground, the corridor became silent save for the distant sound of running trains.

Struck by a sudden tsunami of fatigue, Yuuki slid back in a sitting position – and noticed something strange about his feet. He wasn’t wearing his green and white sneakers, but dark brown knee-high boots! Further observation showed that his entire wardrobe had gone through an extreme makeover: his uniform turtleneck had been replaced by a white dress shirt with a dark blue vest over it, complete with crescent-moon shaped cufflinks and buttons. His pants were the same colour as the vest and two belts criss-crossed his hips, one adorned with pockets for gun cartridges and the other with small pouches. On top of it all, he had a black cape that reached just below his buttocks. He looked ridiculous…maybe also kind of cool, but he couldn’t just go and walk home looking like this!

As Yuuki brought a hand to his forehead to wipe off the newly formed nervous sweat, he noticed he was wearing something on his face again. This time the object came off without problems, and Yuuki took it in his hands to take a closer look. It was a white and blue mask. The sides resembled the stylized wings of a bird, and the bottom was pointed like a bird’s beak.

It was around this time that Yuuki gave up trying to rationalize what had just happened. If he had finally gone insane, that couldn’t be helped – the day had been terrible enough without worrying about that.

“I’ll just…go home and sleep on it,” he muttered to no one in particular.

Fortunately having to explain his strange attire was not an issue: just like the dagger, the clothes disappeared and brought back his normal schoolwear as soon as he returned to the everyday landscape of Shibuya.

* * *

 

What happened next was a series of events that was among the most surprising and exciting of Yuuki’s entire life. After a mysterious “calling card” message was spread around the school, Kamoshida had disappeared for several days, reappearing only to give a tearful confession of his abusive actions. Kamoshida was arrested, no one was expelled, and it was all thanks to a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves.

The Phantom Thieves, indeed. Although the group’s identity was a mystery to the public, Yuuki was convinced Kurusu was involved. Probably Sakamoto and Takamaki as well, judging by how they suddenly seemed to have banded together. The timing was just a bit too convenient, and even though Kurusu had not admitted anything directly, the fact that he listened to Yuuki’s ramblings about the Phan-Site was proof enough. He suddenly had someone who he could text to, and who actually reacted to his messages! Well, usually Yuuki was the one doing most of the texting, but it didn’t change the fact that Kurusu hadn’t blocked him and was actually reading the messages, at least if the rate at which Yuuki’s hand-picked Phan-Site requests were getting fulfilled could be considered proof. It was probably a bit presumptuous of him, but he did think of Kurusu as a friend.

During the few occasions he had had the honour to spend time with Kurusu, Yuuki had noticed that the other seemed to struggle with money. Whenever they went to the diner, Kurusu only ever ordered the cheapest oolong tea or most basic coffee, gingerly placing a few hundred-yen coins on the counter when they went to pay afterwards. That gave Yuuki the idea to treat Kurusu to the famous hotel buffet with the donations from the Phan-Site, but they had ended up aborting the mission when they stopped to consider its further implications. Thoroughly embarrassed, Yuuki returned home and tried to rack his brain for a way to contribute more to the Phantom Thieves, who had turned his life around and given him a second chance he had never expected. There had to be something he could do for them besides managing a website… But what?

Maybe he should get a part-time job to support the Thieves financially? But those didn’t usually pay all that well, and he wasn’t confident he could commit to a strict work schedule while monitoring the Phan-Site. If only he had some special skill that he could make use of…

Out of habit, he took out his phone to check the newest posts on the website. As he swiped open his lockscreen, the red-and-black eye icon caught his attention.

“That’s it!” he exclaimed, quickly covering his mouth as he remembered his parents were already asleep. He listened for a while, but could hear no sounds of movement, so maybe he hadn’t woken anyone up. Yuuki refocused his attention to the app icon, his heart racing.

He had been able to get money from the underground world before, and paid with that money in real life stores without problems. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but it seemed like the money was the real deal, and the monsters holding it respawned infinitely no matter how many times they were defeated. With the strange power he had gained after Kamoshida’s expulsion threat, hunting the monsters should be considerably easier than before. The more he thought about it, the more flawless the plan seemed.

Yuuki put his plan into motion the very next day. When classes ended, he went to Shibuya to purchase some medicine and energizing snacks. He had had to take a few crumpled 1000 yen notes from his mother’s household emergency stash, but he was convinced he would be able to return the money later. After finishing his shopping, he opened the app and headed straight for the depths.

Fighting really was much easier with the help of Bunny Manders. He now could boost his attacking ability when needed, and the slimes that wouldn’t flinch at physical attacks were subjected to the bright light he had used earlier. Yuuki stormed through the first floor, and the second…only to reach the strange wall that hadn’t let him go past during his previous visits.

“It _looks_ like there should be a passageway here though…” Yuuki muttered, stroking the wall with his hand. To his surprise, the wall suddenly sprang to life and opened right in front of him, revealing another set of escalators descending further down.

The next floor was a little different: the colour scheme was mostly deep blue, and the monsters were a bit stronger than in the previous floor. Fortunately Yuuki managed to hold his ground, and was pleased to find that the tougher enemies tended to carry more cash. Defeating monsters also seemed to make him stronger, as he felt a new skill came to him right after dealing with a particularly bothersome horde of weird owl-men.

After looking through a few more floors, he came across what seemed to be a resting area. Thankful for the opportunity to take a break, he sat down and began to munch on a Yakisoba pan he had managed to grab from school, and counted his bounty for the day. Seven thousand four hundred and sixty-three yen. Definitely much better than working his ass off at a convenience store for a whole afternoon. He was getting a bit tired, though, so he decided to call it a day and ask the app to return him to reality. When at home, he slipped the correct amount of cash back to the jar his mother kept in the kitchen drawer, and looked at the Phan-Site for a couple of hours before falling asleep with muscles aching, but extremely satisfied.

Yuuki didn’t go to the other world every day; that would have been much too taxing, and he still had other things to do. He went every two or three days, spending the afternoon there and returning home to do take care of his admin duties. The other days were spent shopping, selling the various items he found from chests and hanging out in Shibuya to try and keep an ear out for any rumours that might help the Phantom Thieves out.

As May turned to June and the rainy season approached, Yuuki decided he was ready to make his announcement to Kurusu. It had been a bit over a week since he had begun his escapades in the other world, and he had amassed a nice amount of cash. He carefully chose the cleanest, least wrinkled banknotes he could find and put them in a clear white envelope. He was tempted to write “the Phantom Thieves” as the recipient, but that would have been too risky – part of the fun _was_ keeping it hush-hush – so he put Kurusu’s name on it instead.

He went to his usual spot on the shopping street, scanning the crowd for a familiar fluffy hair and a suspiciously full bag. Sure enough, he spotted Kurusu walking out of a bookstore and waved at him.

“Hey, I saw that you cleared that request I sent you the other day! Good job on that, I’m sure it’ll help boost the P-Thieves’ popularity.”

Kurusu nodded. Yuuki took a deep breath and decided it was time to follow through with the other thing he wanted to discuss.

“So… I noticed you’ve been taking some part-time jobs.”

The sudden change of topic gave Kurusu a slight pause, but only for a second.

“Yeah… I need some cash to buy…well, all kinds of stuff really.” Kurusu shrugged, leaving the vague reply hanging in the air awkwardly. His mind seemed to be occupied with something else.

“That’s what I thought,” Yuuki agreed, not really focusing to Kurusu’s wandering attention. “But you must be really busy with reforming society and whatnot, so I’ve been thinking I should help you out!”

“Help out… how?” Kurusu turned to look at Yuuki again, somewhat more alert, only to have an envelope nearly shoved into his face. Yuuki held out the thin object with both hands as he bowed lightly.

“This is for you! It’s nothing amazing, but it should be good for _something_ at least.”

Kurusu frowned as he eyed the envelope without taking it.

“That’s… I can’t take money from you.”

Yuuki let out a little sigh and straightened his posture. He had known to expect some resistance – Kurusu was a good guy, after all, he wouldn’t just _go_ for it like some jerks Yuuki had the displeasure of knowing. But he had prepared for this scenario.

_Just say it, like you practised._

“Listen, I know I didn’t think things through with the site donations, but I learned from that. This is different. I made this money myself, and I can choose how to use it. I want you to have it – no wait, please hear me out – first off, I know you need the funds and I want to help you guys out, after all you’ve done for me. But there’s another reason. If I kept this money, I would just use it to buy some games or sweets or other useless stuff… I feel that if the Phantom Thieves have it, they can use it for something greater, like reforming society. I don’t want to only think about myself like I used to. That’s why…I need you to accept. For my sake, and for the good of society.”

A long silence stretched between them. Yuuki’s heart was pounding as he kept his eyes fixed on Kurusu’s pondering face. If Kurusu still refused, Yuuki’s hard work would be meaningless, his chance to truly transform his life squandered. After several unpleasant seconds, there was a distinct series of meows from Kurusu’s bag (he really did seem to carry his cat everywhere, didn’t he?). Kurusu clicked his tongue at the sound, but eventually he looked at Yuuki with an amused smile as he extended a hand to take the envelope.

“Sheesh, what was up with the cheesy delivery though? You remind me of this politician I met the other day.”

Yuuki felt his cheeks heat up at the teasing. “That- I was just being earnest!” Desperately trying to change the subject, he hastily continued, “A-anyway, I’m going to keep handing you more when I can, but I won’t forget my duties as your strategic image manager, either! Keep an eye on your phone, and see you around.”

Yuuki made his exit before Kurusu thought to open the envelope. While he was a bit curious what kind of face Kurusu would make, he didn’t want to risk being handed the money back immediately when Kurusu discovered that the envelope contained fifteen thousand yen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few words about my choice for Mishima's Persona. There are lots of great fics with awesome ideas for it, but none of them really worked for this specific scenario, so... I had to do some research. I'm usually more comfortable with mythology than literary sleuths, so I had to dig around a bit before discovering a little gem that I just couldn't pass up. He is one half of a gentleman thief duo created by E. W. Hornung. Interested parties can read more about it online (the original works are available for free) but let's just say that Bunny's admiration for his former ~~senpai~~ schoolmate, the way Bunny goes to Raffles in a dire situation (even threatening suicide at a point) in the first story and the way the two perform elaborate heists partly for ~aesthetic~ but also because they need the money made me want to go for it.
> 
> The white colours of the Persona are meant to represent traditional attire for cricket players (and the weapon is a huge cricket bat) because it comes up a lot in Hornung's stories. I don't understand the sport at all, so apologies to those who do.


	2. Chapter 2

Akira couldn’t help but wonder.

He was happy for the help, of course. Their group’s ranks were growing, which meant more manpower but also more equipment to buy, more guns to upgrade, more powerful medicines to purchase… Then there were all the unexpected financial setbacks, like the time in early summer when he had ended up spending 100,000 yen on a piece of salt – arguably not one of his greatest moments. Either way, time was not something that the leader of the Phantom Thieves had in abundance, and Mishima’s generosity saved him some precious time by cutting back on the necessary amount of fundraising on Akira’s part.

But no matter how you thought about it, it seemed a bit strange. How could an ordinary high school boy get so much money he could easily give away more than 50,000 yen a month and still have time to go to school and manage the increasing traffic on his own website? He had always complained about being completely broke before, so what miraculous golden goose had he suddenly obtained?

And then there was the other thing. Mishima seemed to have a suspicious amount of injuries. Of course, he had been full of bumps and bruises when Akira had met him, but most of them had healed pretty soon after Kamoshida had been dealt with. Now they were appearing again, varying in shape, location and type, and Mishima laughed them off every time Akira tried to ask about it. _I fell in the stairs, I burned my hand while boiling water for a cup ramen, I was bitten by a neighbour’s dog_ … It wasn’t normal for one person to have so many freak accidents. Naturally, Akira and the rest of their group were hiding their share of physical marks as well, but they were hopping in and out of Mementos and Palaces. It was partly because of this that Akira could hear the excuses coming from Mishima’s mouth – he gave the same excuses to everyone around him on the rare occasion someone outside the Thieves questioned a scar or a bruised spot.

In some way Akira knew that he should just cut to the chase and ask outright what was going on. But something about Mishima made it difficult to confront him, especially now that Akira had been accepting the money almost without question for three months. He should have asked about it from the very start, he knew that. But he had really been in a bind that day – the team’s lives might have been compromised during their next mission without an expensive visit to Dr. Takemi’s store – and Mishima had looked like he would shatter into pieces if Akira didn’t accept his offer. Akira hadn’t had the guts to get to the bottom of it back then, and he was now facing the consequences.

On the very first day of school after the summer holiday, Mishima stopped Akira and Ann in the school hallway on their way to the scheduled team meeting.

“Kurusu, Takamaki-san!” Mishima leaned in closer, face lit up in a knowing smile, and said in a quieter tone, “Congrats on solving the Medjed case. I have a little reward for you as well…here you go!”

Akira took the envelope, staring at Mishima wordlessly. After a moment of silence, Ann spoke up hesitantly.

“Mishima-kun…your face…”

Mishima laughed (a bit nervously, Akira noted) and touched his right temple lightly. There was a purplish bruise that stretched from his hairline to just above his eyebrow. Mishima had clearly applied something like concealer to hide the worst of it – this was just about the oldest trick in the book, and one that Ann had advised the boys to use from the very start of their adventures – but it still looked he had been hit with a fairly heavy object. Hard.

“You noticed? I guess it looks pretty rough…” Mishima said, trying to lightly pull at his hair as if to cover the evidence, “The other day, I was taking a bath and slipped on some soap on the floor. I hit my head on the washroom sink – bam, just like that! I thought I’d get a concussion or something, but it seems like I’m fine so far at least!”

Mishima laughed again and moved his hand to rub the back of his neck in a gesture that was supposed to express embarrassment over his clumsiness. When Akira and Ann didn’t seem to find the story particularly funny, he asked the duo to give his regards to the rest of the group and hastily made his exit.

When Mishima’s back had disappeared around the corner, the two Phantom Thieves exchanged a look. Ann’s expression told Akira that she was thinking the same that he was: this needed to be addressed, _now_.

 

It was Ann who brought up the topic after they had gone through the other items on the list of things to discuss during their first official meeting with Futaba included.

“I’m kind of worried about Mishima-kun… Do you think he’s alright? There seems to be something…strange going on with him lately, “ Ann said, twirling her hair around her finger like she sometimes did when she was hesitant about something.

Makoto immediately nodded, “I’ve been meaning to talk about him as well. I tried to ask a few times if there’s anyone…bothering him…but he’s just started to avoid me as a result,” she shook her head. “He might think I’m trying to snoop in his business because I’m in the student council.”

“Who is this Nishima guy you’re talking about?” Futaba raised her eyes from her phone, tired of being excluded from the conversation.

“Oh right, Futaba-chan hasn’t met him,” Ann remembered.

“He’s in Akira and Ann’s class,” Ryuji explained. "He’s the guy who manages the website and gives us all the requests for Mementos.”

An invisible light switch seemed to flip in Futaba’s head as she exclaimed “Oohhh, _that guy_. He has pretty one-sided chat conversations with you,” she turned to look at Akira with a mischievous smirk on her lips.

“…Did you look through my phone traffic?” Somehow he felt he shouldn’t even be surprised. At least Futaba looked a bit apologetic now.

“Only at the beginning when I was trying to decide if you were a good guy or not,” she defended herself meekly.

“So what is going on with this Mishima?” Yusuke redirected the conversation to the main topic. He had met Mishima once during the summer – a planetarium visit to remember – but had no way of knowing anything more recent.

“Well, as you know, he has been volunteering to raise funds to help with our activities,” Akira began, fishing out the newest envelope from his bag and showing the contents to the others. “Trouble is, I can’t figure out where he could be getting this kind of money.”

Futaba swiftly grabbed the neatly organised notes from Akira and counted them with her nimble fingers.

“Seventy-one, two, three…it’s seventy-five thousand!”

Everyone stared at the money in awe. Ryuji whistled. Yusuke looked like he was about to faint.

“It’s a bit more than usual, since he’s been collecting it for most of the summer holiday,” Akira explained.

“My modelling gigs are just now starting to get to those numbers if I get lucky,” Ann said, “and I’ve been doing it for years. What normal job gets you so much right from the start?”

Makoto was starting to look increasingly uncomfortable. She took eye contact with Akira to catch his attention and said,

“You mentioned once that he spends a lot of time in Shinjuku at night. You don’t suppose he would be…?”

Akira had recently made several visits to Shinjuku with Makoto to keep an eye on her friend, who seemed to be in danger of getting into some shady business because of her club host boyfriend. It was natural that Makoto suspected something in a similar vein might be going on with Mishima.

“H-hold on! You’re not saying what I think you are…are you?” Ryuji said incredulously.

“I guess it’s mostly girls who are warned about that kind of stuff…but I can’t say there’s no market for guys, too…” Ann bit her lip.

“But…why would he go for something crazy like that?” Ryuji insisted. Morgana, who had been hiding in Akira’s bag to avoid over-enthusiastic station attendants, poked his head out to pipe in.

“He feels indebted to us because of what happened with Kamoshida, and he wants to do everything he can to help. I can’t say for sure there’s illegal activities involved, but… I wouldn’t completely put it past him. He seems the type who gets carried away easily.”

Ann shuddered. “I’d feel terrible if it turned out we pushed him to do something horrible to himself for our benefit…”

“We wouldn’t be better than the society we’re trying to change,” Makoto agreed. “Either way, we have a responsibility to find out what’s really going on.”

Before the meeting was adjourned, it was unanimously decided that the Phantom Thieves would execute an operation on a smaller scale before deciding on their next major target.

When the classes finished the next Monday afternoon, Mishima collected his things to his bag and immediately made for the door, as was his habit. This time, Akira and Ann’s eyes were glued on his back as he left the classroom, and Akira pressed send on the group chat.

_[AK] He just left._

Ryuji, who had made it to his usual spot in the hallway, immediately texted back.

_[RS] He went to the bathroom. Go downstairs._

Akira and Ann wasted no time leaving the classroom and relocating to the entrance area, while Ryuji stayed in the second floor to make sure they wouldn’t lose sight of Mishima in case he decided to take other detours. They had decided that having them all wait at the entrance for Mishima’s exit would be too suspicious, so they had Makoto on standby next to the vending machines outside the school gates together with Futaba. The two newest members of the group were the least likely to be noticed by Mishima, so it was decided that trailing him was the perfect task for them.

After leaving the toilet, Mishima went straight out of the school gates and walked in the direction of the Aoyama-Itchome station, Makoto and Futaba following from a respectable distance. Akira, Ryuji and Ann also made their way to the station according to Makoto’s texted instructions. They all boarded the same train bound for Shibuya, but picked a different car so as not to be spotted.

In the hustle and bustle of the Shibuya station, they dared to regroup and continue the mission as one unit, as the risk of them being spotted was much smaller in the crowd. Yusuke, who had made the trip from his school by this point, joined their team at the station gates where they had agreed he should wait.

Then Mishima headed for the station square, and stopped in front the staircase that led to the underground walkway. The group observed from behind the lottery stand as Mishima took out his phone as if to check something and-

Red and black distortions suddenly filled the scenery, and he Phantom Thieves found themselves staring at the familiar yet unnerving entrance to Mementos.

“This- is this the Metaverse?” Ann verbalised their confusion. Meanwhile, Akira – in his Joker attire – began to sprint towards the direction of the escalator, but Mishima had already disappeared. The other members caught up with their leader a few seconds later and they all stared at the empty stairway with utter disbelief.

“Did he really just…enter Mementos? On his own?” Ryuji sounded dumbfounded.

 “Any ideas, Mona?” Akira glanced at the feline.

“I- I’m as surprised as you are!” wide-eyed Morgana stammered. “I’ve never seen any humans enter besides you guys.”

“He’s out of sight now,” Yusuke said, peering into the darkness below, “How should we pursue him?”

Morgana looked a bit apologetic.

“I don’t think I can track him from here. Human Shadows are no problem, but humans from this side…”

Everyone’s eyes were on Futaba next, who immediately looked like she wanted to just go home and hide in the closet again. Akira felt kind of bad shoving so much responsibility on her when she had just joined the group, but her abilities were by far their best shot. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging nod (he had really tried to hone his kindness recently), which seemed to grant her the necessary push.

“A-alrighty, search and rescue mission start!”

 

* * *

 

“Are you getting anything, Oracle?”

“Not really… There’s no sign of anyone like that in this floor.”

“We can’t just keep driving around blindly and hope we run into him! For all we know, he could be fucking _dead_ already,” Ryuji banged his fist against the inside of the wall, and Morgana shrieked.

“Quit hitting me!”

“I’m afraid Skull is right,” Makoto muttered, resting her chin against her knuckles in a thoughtful pose, “There are way too many floors here for us to comb through, not to mention we have no way of knowing how well versed Mishima-kun is with the Metaverse.”

“I can’t believe it… There are other people who can enter this world on their own besides us?” Ann said.

“Well, us and the black-masked culprit,” Yusuke corrected. A long silence stretched inside the car.

“...No _way_ ,” Ryuji deadpanned.

“I’m not saying they are one and the same,” Yusuke said, “but we should be prepared for any kind of outcome. We didn’t expect this turn of events, either.”

“That’s a fair point,” Makoto conceded. “Whether there is a connection or not, we need to find Mishima-kun and fast.” She glanced at Futaba, who was frowning furiously.

“Hnnngh… Easier said than done. It’s the first time I’ve had to do this kind of thing and it’s not like what we’re looking for is just magically going to-“

Suddenly Futaba jumped up from her seat, her laptop almost colliding with Akira’s head.

“I think I got something! It reacts to “Mishima Yuuki”, but it’s not a Shadow.”

“Where is it?” Akira asked from the driver’s seat. He had settled on just listening to the conversation and focused on dodging the Shadows to save their time and energy by not engaging in unnecessary battles.

Futaba hummed thoughtfully, tapping her cheek with her index finger. “It’s hard to tell, the readings are really fuzzy. It’s pretty far below though.”

Concerned looks were exchanged in the back seat and Akira couldn’t help grasping the wheel a bit harder.

 

* * *

 

They had to descend down as far as to the depths of Azkeriyyuth, an area that had just opened after their victory over Medjed. Having to defeat the more powerful Shadows in their path slowed their progress, but eventually Futaba caught a stronger signal.

“I think he’s in this floor!”

“Let’s catch him before the trail goes cold. Everyone, get on!” Morgana switched back into his bus form and the rest of the team obeyed.

It still took a while to explore the floor. They ran into numerous dead ends and could not avoid battles either. By this point, frustration began to weigh on the team as they continued their quest.

“Mona, are you feeling alright? I think you sound a bit different from normal,” Yusuke observed.

“Uhh…that’s not me. Be on your guard, Joker – I’ve got a funny feeling…”

Akira stopped the car and everyone listened attentively.

“The sound is metallic… almost like chains?” Makoto wondered aloud, other members nodding in agreement.

“Hey…let’s get a move on and find Mishima,” Morgana muttered, getting more unnerved each passing second, “I _really_ get the feeling we should get out of-“

At that moment, a dark figure engulfed in crimson flames emerged from behind the corner. It was like a ghost, its torn and bloodstained gown fluttering and chains rattling about its torso. Perhaps the most concerning part, however, were the twin pistols it was carrying – one aimed right at their windshield.

“JOKER!” Everyone screamed collectively. Akira needed no further prompting: he twisted the wheel and managed to get out of the way just before a gunshot pierced their ears. They raced down the corridor only to discover that the creature was following them.

“What _is_ that?!” Ann yelled, looking over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the monster.

“I really don’t want to find out,” Futaba said, “Its power level readings are wild!”

“Tell me about it…Joker, look out!”

Akira looked in the direction Ryuji was pointing at, and barely missed a distinctly human figure that threw itself against the wall to avoid getting hit by the car. The figure flashed by in an instant, but it was clear they had just zoomed past their target.

“We have to turn around!” Makoto yelled as everyone but Joker and Futaba twisted around in their seats to witness that the Shadow seemed to have lost interest in the chase and found a new prey.

Stopping at top speed was not an easy task. Morgana groaned as the vehicle screeched to a halt after making a large curve and almost tipping sideways, but they managed to stay upright. The passengers took a second to reorient themselves after the bumpy ride before they dashed out of the car, weapons at the ready. As Akira sprinted towards the spot where they had seen Mishima, he felt the effect of Yusuke’s Masukukaja spur him on.

As soon as Akira spotted Mishima, his stomach dropped at the realisation that the other teen was standing opposite to the armed ghost, in battle stance.

 _Just turn around and run_ , he pleaded in his mind, but already knew it was no use. Mishima swung his arm to the side and shouted,

“Bunny Manders!”

A white-clad figure – it could only be a Persona, to Akira’s infinite surprise – appeared from thin air behind Mishima as he shot a beam of light at the monster. However, the Shadow barely flinched at the spell. It simply raised one of its guns and shot in the air. As if on cue, a straw doll materialised in front of Mishima, several nails striking through it as the space around him was filled with bloody handprints. Mishima didn’t have time to even react before he fell to the ground limply.

When the Thieves made it to spellcasting range, they summoned a barrage of magic on the Shadow to catch its attention. Only Akira refrained from attacking, instead charging ahead to retrieve Mishima’s unconscious body from the battlefield. After hoisting the teenager on his back, Akira dashed back in the direction of his friends. They acted as one without any words communicated: Morgana had already turned back into his bus form and Makoto was halfway in the driver’s seat when Akira reached them, shielded by Yusuke and Ryuji while Ann and Futaba helped him get Mishima in the vehicle.

They reached a platform only a couple turns away, and Akira wasn’t sure if he had ever been happier to see one. He made a mental note to visit the Meiji Shrine later to thank whatever benevolent force had allowed at least _something_ go right today.

 

* * *

 

When they made it to a safe area, the group began to catalogue their injuries. Miraculously, no one had sustained any serious damage aside from the usual scrapes. Morgana was quietly lamenting the state of his scorched tail – he had been hit by a nasty Ziodyne spell while trying to escape – and Ann began to attend to him with her healing skills. Ryuji helped Akira settle Mishima on the bench of the waiting room before taking a step back to give their leader some free space to work.

Akira fished a vial of Revivadrin from his pocket and removed Mishima’s mask. Under it, the boy was deathly pale and completely still; only the faintest hint of air moving to and from his mouth was testament to the fact that he was still alive. The bruise on his temple they had noticed a couple days ago was still there, now a few shades blacker. Akira carefully tilted Mishima’s chin upward and emptied the tiny vial’s contents into his mouth. He scrunched up his nose despite himself – he couldn’t understand how the stuff could be so pungent even though it was only a few drops. Then he summoned Phoenix from within his mind and pressed one hand against Mishima’s chest to channel a Recarm spell. It was not the first time the team was dealing with Mudoon-induced unconsciousness, and they knew the effects could sometimes be persistent. The other members followed Akira’s actions from a small distance. No matter how many times they did this, they never couldn’t help the gnawing anxiety that it somehow wouldn’t work this time.

After the second Recarm, Mishima’s upper body jerked against Akira’s hand and he wheezed a generous amount of air into his lungs, only to start coughing violently immediately after. When he seemed to get his breathing going and his eyes began to flutter open, Makoto knelt next to Akira and cast a Diarama by hovering a hand over Mishima. Behind them, the rest of the group let out relieved sighs and dared to exchange reassuring nods. Ann and Ryuji high-fived each other casually.

“Kurusu…?”

Mishima’s voice was raspy and quiet, but his eyes were clearly focused on Akira’s unmasked face. Akira opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn’t sure where to start. Before he managed to make up his mind, Mishima seemed to notice Makoto and was visibly startled.

“N-niijima-senpai…? What’s going on?” he tried to back off, but was immediately blocked by the glass wall of the waiting room.

Akira sighed. Both parties had a lot of explaining to do.

 

* * *

 

Several hours later found them all in the attic of LeBlanc, gathered around the table with several empty mugs. Sojiro often advised against serving coffee in the evening, so they had made brown rice green tea instead, the pleasant smell still lingering although the beverage had long since been consumed.

It had been a long evening. The Phantom Thieves and Mishima had taken turns telling their side of the tale until both parties had reached an understanding of what had happened during the past months.

“So…you’ve been going to Mementos even before us…all alone?” Ann asked. Mishima looked at her meekly.

“Well…yes. I had no idea other people could enter, as well,” he said, “or that it was that world where you guys change people’s hearts.”

“We were also surprised to see you had the potential,” Morgana said (Mishima had seen Morgana in the Metaverse and thus could understand him, but he still flinched a little every time the cat spoke).

“Still, what you’ve been doing is extremely reckless and dangerous,” Makoto scolded, her inner student council president beginning to shine through, “If we had known from the start that you were out there putting your life on the line…”

Mishima gripped the empty mug in his hands and averted his eyes.

“I…told myself it was all about helping you guys out and the good of society and all that. But deep down…I guess I was just excited to play superhero and lead a double life like the Phantom Thieves. I didn’t really think it through and eventually almost got myself killed like a complete moron.” He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I never learn, do I…”

An uncomfortable silence stretched on. Mishima looked so small and lost now, it was almost impossible to imagine him raiding Shadows in Mementos on his own. Akira, who was sitting across the table from Mishima, wanted to reach out and touch the boy’s shoulder, to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault. As the leader, Akira should have realised the situation sooner, he should have been more responsible. He was glad Mishima wasn’t involved in any shady business like they had initially believed, but in some ways the truth was even worse. What if Mishima had just disappeared one day without a trace, and no one would ever know that he had succumbed to the Shadows in the cognitive world…?

“Dude, what are you talking about? I think you’re awesome!”

Ryuji’s sudden proclamation took everyone by surprise. Mishima snapped his head up and sputtered an utterly confused “W-what?”

“I mean, sure, going down there alone is a dumb move but, you managed that for _months_! When I entered the Metaverse the first time, I was so scared I almost shat my pants and I woulda been dead meat without this guy around,” Ryuji cocked his head sideways towards Akira.

“He’s not wrong, you know,” Ann said, smiling at Mishima. “I wouldn’t dare go to Mementos alone for any amount of cash. You knew you could get hurt or worse, but you chose to go anyway and that’s…really brave of you, Mishima-kun.”

Mishima blinked rapidly a few times before he lowering his eyes again, this time not in shame but in hesitant pride.

“Brave…” he whispered the word under his breath as if to try how it felt to apply the concept to himself. Yusuke crossed his arms and spoke thoughtfully:

“Even though you said you doubted your motives were entirely selfless, I don’t believe you acted out of pure vanity, either. You had a cause to fight for, and you went for it without hesitation. I find that an admirable trait.”

“Besides, you’re not that bad combat-wise!” Futaba turned her laptop so that everyone could see the screen. “I put together the info I scanned from you in Mementos and it’s looking none too shabby.”

Morgana purred in delight, “Having a new member with battle experience already under his belt _would_ be encouraging…”

Mishima was struggling to keep up with the conversation as he kept glancing left and right, unable to believe what he was hearing. Eventually his eyes locked on Akira, who met his gaze and gave a reassuring smile as he said,

“If you want, you could be a member of the Phantom Thieves. Officially.”

Mishima’s eyes widened as his brain processed what he had just been told.

“You’re…not joking, are you?” Everyone shook their heads, but Mishima’s eyes were still glued to Akira, whose eyes communicated that he was dead serious.

Then Mishima jumped up so fast he almost knocked the table over.

“Yes! I mean…I wholeheartedly accept! Thank you for having me, ah… I’ll…do my best,” he bowed deeply and remained in the position until Ryuji pulled him back up.

“Stop that, you’re making it weird,” he laughed, “’S not like we don’t know you already.”

“I agree, there’s no need for such formalities,” Makoto concurred, smiling encouragingly, “We’re an…unconventional group anyway.”

“Then it’s settled,” Morgana said, “Our team has received a new member.”

“Oh, he needs a codename,” Ann remembered. After this, there was a round of introductions during which everyone told their codename and they explained the general concept to Mishima.

“I…I don’t really know,” Mishima said, flustered at the sudden expectation that he come up with a suitable codename, “Whatever you guys feel would be appropriate.”

During the following minutes, several suggestions were given and promptly shot down.

“Uhh, I don’t know, “Bunny”? Your Persona was called something like that,” Ryuji said half-heartedly, getting tired of the stagnating conversation.

“N-no way! I’m not going to be called a _rabbit_ ,” Mishima protested.

“I believe it’s a cricket term, actually,” Makoto corrected, “The Persona seemed to be holding something that seemed like the bat they use in the sport. …But I agree it might be misleading without the context.”

When no one could come up with a good suggestion, Akira took the opportunity to say,

“How about “Dove”? That’s what came to mind when I saw your mask.”

“Doves are considered to be a symbol of hope and peace in many cultures,” Yusuke mused, “It’s not a bad choice. It would be a reminder that we act to bring people hope, not just to cause trouble.”

“Hope and peace, really?” Ryuji sounded a bit incredulous, “I always thought they just looked kinda dumb and fat…”

“You’re thinking of pigeons,” Ann quipped, “Doves are the ones that are white and really pretty.”

“How do you feel about it?” Makoto asked, turning to Mishima.

“Uhh…It’s fine? It might not sound all that badass, but I like the hope aspect,” he gave a shy smile, “You guys definitely gave me a whole lot of new hope. I’d be honoured to be able to do that for someone else.”

At that moment, Ann checked her phone and gasped,

“It’s this late already? I need to catch the last train,” she immediately began packing her things and the others joined him (except Akira, Morgana and Futaba, who could afford a more leisurely pace).

Akira followed his guests downstairs while Morgana already began to settle on his bed. Futaba turned right from the door to go home while the others went left to get to the station. Mishima was the only one who lingered under the store’s awning.

“You coming?” Ryuji called from the street.

“You go on ahead,” Mishima replied, turning to look at Akira again.

“I…I wanted to say thank you. Not just for today, but…for everything.” He chuckled. “No matter what I do, I just keep getting more indebted to you. I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to repay you properly.”

“It’s not about debt or payments,” Akira leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. “I couldn’t just ignore you when you were going through rough times because…” he paused for a moment to consider his words. “It would go against the Phantom Thieves’ code of justice.”

Mishima gasped. “There’s an official code?”

“Not really,” Akira shrugged, “Just made that up.”

“…Oh.”

Deciding he had had his fun, Akira lazily pushed himself away from the doorframe and extended a hand towards Mishima.

 “Anyway, you’re really going to miss that train if we don’t wrap this up, so…welcome to the team, partner.” Akira extended a hand, which Mishima took eagerly. As they shook hands, Akira felt a surge of energy that signified their bond growing stronger.

Watching Mishima sprint to the station to catch the last train, Akira gave himself a mental pat on the back. He had managed to solve the mystery behind Mishima’s strange behaviour, deepened their friendship and even gained a new member to join felonious forces with the Phantom Thieves – all in a day’s work. He couldn’t really think of a successful day even if he tried.

When he closed the door of the café, he saw a pair of yellow eyes glowing sharply in the darkness of the stairway. Morgana was sitting on one of the steps, smiling at him in a way that was more than a little frightening.

“Jokerrrrr…” the word came out as a mock-sweet purr, “Unless you already fell asleep standing, I _really_ don’t see why you’re not in bed right now.”

Well, maybe figuring out how to stop having his cat dictate his sleep schedule would be a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there it is - the first published work I've put out since 2012. It was received well enough in the kinkmeme, so I hope people can enjoy it here as well.
> 
> I did some research to find if there was any canon information on what Revivadrins actually are but... none of the descriptions were really helpful so this is the result. Also taking some liberties with how spells and all that stuff works, because having everyone just jump back up immediately after being knocked out and mauled in terrible ways just doesn't have the same sense of danger, you know?
> 
> About Mishima's codename: I decided to keep the title given in the prompt since I've seen other people use Dove and it worked for this scenario. There are lots of other good names too, but they usually ignore a small fact: it's mentioned in the game dialogue that all the codenames are in English (even in the Japanese version) so Mishima should also have a name that could easily be pronounced by Japanese people and work in the katakana script if necessary. Dove (ダブ or ダヴ if you want to get fancy) works in both ways. The dove/pigeon joke works better in Japanese, too (the common word for both is hato or 鳩), I apparently found it hilarious when writing late at night and didn't have the heart to remove it later... Sorry about that!
> 
> Stay tuned for more Mishima content and possibly some other P5 stuff as well! I have a lot of ideas and WIPs I'm working on... but also a heads-up: I'll be working two jobs for the next two weeks so I probably will be pretty beat by the time I come home. But there is more! And I REALLY want to get back on track with writing after all these years.


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